Arch Enemy's Alissa White-Gluz on Veganism, Metal, and Life on the Road: “Super Easy”
She debunks myths about being vegan on tour, explaining why it’s easier than most assume—even in the world of metal.
- Touring the world as a vegan and straight edge metal vocalist? Alissa White-Gluz says it’s “totally possible.” With 20 years on the road and 25 years of veganism, she’s seen it become way easier—despite language barriers, cultural differences, and, well, airport food.
- Metal and veganism go hand in hand? According to Alissa, absolutely. Inspired by Moby’s documentary Punk Rock Vegan Movie, she believes veganism is the ultimate rebellion—challenging society’s conditioning, just like metal challenges the mainstream.
- “It’s super easy, actually” to stay vegan and sober on tour. Alissa doesn’t drink, but she still parties. She doesn’t eat animal products, but she still eats great food. And she’s not alone—there are other vegans in the Arch Enemy tour bus, proving it’s more common than people think.
Vegan. Straight edge. Death metal vocalist. Alissa White-Gluz of Arch Enemy is not exactly what you’d call your average rockstar. And yet, despite what some might assume about a life of touring (hotel food, fast food, or whatever’s closest and cheapest), she’s been managing just fine—on plants.
No animal products. No drugs. No alcohol. And guess what? She’s still out there, absolutely destroying every stage she steps on.
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For anyone clutching their pearls about how “impossible” it must be to stay vegan while touring the world, Alissa’s here with a simple message: It is totally possible.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years”
During an interview with Metal Magnitude at the Metal Hall Of Fame in Anaheim, California (early 2025, if you’re keeping track), Alissa casually shut down the idea that her lifestyle is difficult to maintain on the road.
“I’ve been touring for about 20 years and I’ve been vegan for 25 years and vegetarian before that, so I’ve definitely seen it become way easier. I’ve done it all across the world, with language barriers and cultural barriers and lack of time or money or transportation, and I’m still able to do it. So I have to say it is totally possible.”
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Translation? If she can keep up a plant-based diet while bouncing between continents, through a haze of jet lag, soundchecks, and random gas station stops, maybe—just maybe—it’s not as hard as people make it out to be.
Metal and Veganism? Apparently, They Go Hand in Hand
Veganism and heavy metal: an unlikely duo? Not really. At least, not according to Alissa.
She brought up Moby’s Punk Rock Vegan Movie, a documentary exploring how punk—and, by extension, metal—intersects with vegan ethics. Basically: punk and metal are all about flipping a middle finger to the mainstream. And what’s more anti-establishment than refusing to participate in a system that profits off animal exploitation?
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“It’s a really cool aspect and an interesting facet of the movement,” she said.
And honestly, she’s got a point. Metalheads pride themselves on thinking for themselves, going against the grain. So why wouldn’t questioning what’s on their plate be part of that rebellion?
“Metal Is About Carving Your Own Path. So Is Veganism.”
Of course, being a vegan, straight-edge female vocalist in a metal band doesn’t exactly make Alissa an industry darling.
“Being female, being vegan and also being straight edge in the metal world is just a combination of targets on my forehead that make it really easy for me to get singled out or pushed around,” she admitted in an interview with Mercy For Animals.
And yet? She’s still here. Still screaming, still touring, still living life on her terms.
“In my opinion, metal is all about rebellion—it’s about carving your own path, thinking against what everyone’s trying to make you think,” she said. “And veganism is the ultimate form of rebellion.”
Think about it. Everyone’s told from childhood that meat, dairy, and animal products are necessary. That’s just the way things are. But what if they’re not? What if—stay with me here—society has been conditioned to accept something that isn’t actually necessary at all?
Boom. Mind blown.
She’s Not Just Preaching—She’s Living It
Unlike some celebrities who “go vegan” for three weeks and then write a memoir about it, Alissa’s been in it for decades. This isn’t a phase. It’s who she is.
“I am an activist before I’m a musician even,” she told Bleeding Metal at the Tuska Festival in Helsinki. “That’s really what drives me forward every single day, is hoping that in some way my existence on this planet can make it a little bit better for everybody else who is currently existing on the planet and who will exist in the future. And that’s first and foremost animal rights.”
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Not just a side gig. Not just a PR move. It’s the core thing that drives her.
And yeah, she knows activism can get exhausting. The whole trying to get people to care about animals while they bite into a burger and tell you plants have feelings too thing? Not exactly fun. But here’s what she had to say about that:
“I think it’s so sad that we have built an industry that doesn’t care about [animals] and actually only cares about profiting off of exploiting them,” she said. “As much as possible, I like to just show people that you don’t have to take part in those industries.”
Simple. Direct. You don’t have to do it. You have a choice.
“It’s Super Easy, Actually.”
If anyone’s imagining a tragic existence where Alissa sits in the corner of the tour bus, crying into a sad, limp salad while everyone else eats real food—yeah, no.
During a Wacken Open Air Q&A in 2022, she was asked if it’s difficult to stay vegan and straight edge on tour. Her answer?
“It’s super easy, actually, because I still party; I just don’t intoxicate myself when I do it. But if other people wanna do that, that’s their choice—it’s up to them.”
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She doesn’t drink, but she still has fun. She doesn’t eat animal products, but she still eats good food. And she’s not alone—she’s not even the only vegan in the Arch Enemy tour bus.
“I’m not the only sober one and I’m not the only vegan either, so I’m surrounded by a lot of different kinds of people and we all get along beautifully,” she said.
Rebellion, But Make It Ethical
Some people think “metal” means mindlessly following the same traditions—beer, leather, screaming about demons, you know the drill.
But if metal’s actually about questioning the status quo, then maybe Alissa’s version makes more sense. She’s not just rebelling for the sake of rebelling. She’s standing for something.
And while plenty of people might roll their eyes at the idea of a vegan metalhead, they’re missing the point.
The most metal thing you can do? Think for yourself. And if that means ditching animal products? Well. That’s between you and your next meal.
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